MissionHome.com a new resource for preparing and succeeding in Mormon missionary service

By Rachel Brutsch , Deseret News

Published: Tuesday, Oct. 1 2013 5:00 a.m. MDT

MissionHome.com, a new website from Deseret Book Company, is scheduled to launch Oct. 1. (www.MissionHome.com)

SALT LAKE CITY — Its mission is “to prepare you to serve yours.”

MissionHome.com, a new website from Deseret Book that is scheduled to launch Oct. 1, aims to help missionaries and their families learn more about, prepare for and succeed in missionary service.

“We saw a way that we could provide a gathering place for missionaries and the families of missionaries to become acquainted with the area where they would be serving as well as provide other unique resources, and MissionHome.com was born,” said Laurel Christensen Day of Deseret Book Co., in a press release.

To help missionaries and their families learn more about their particular missions, MissionHome.com provides a mission directory with facts and tips on each mission area. Among the topics are culture, customs, food, safety, language, transportation and climate. Much of the content comes from returned missionaries who served in those areas.

The website also features articles directed toward those who are preparing to serve, currently serving or just returning from their missions. Also answered are such questions as, "What is the best way to open a mission call?" "How do you respond to people who are only interested in 'Bible-bashing'?" "How do you return to the dating scene after your mission?"

Returned missionaries, former mission presidents and popular LDS authors will be contributing to the website, and a new section for senior couples is in progress, according to the press release. Links to missionary-related videos, such as conference addresses and episodes of “The District,” are also featured.

For those who have a loved one serving a mission, MissionHome.com has partnered with Deseret Book to provide a missionary care-package service that delivers to most missions. Friends and family members can choose from among pre-assembled packages or put one together themselves, and they can include items such as snacks, personal care items, books and accessories.